NEWS

JOHN COLTRANE’S MUSIC AND LIFE EXPLORED AND HONORED IN ‘CHASING TRANE: THE JOHN COLTRANE DOCUMENTARY’

Acclaimed Feature Documentary Film Debuts on DVD and Blu-ray on November 17; Companion Soundtrack Album to be Released on CD, 2-LP Vinyl, and Digital Audio

Los Angeles – October 5, 2017 – On November 17, respected filmmaker John Scheinfeld’s acclaimed feature documentary film, Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary, will be released by UMe on DVD and Blu-ray with exclusive bonus features. On the same date, Verve/UMe will release the film’s vital audio companion — Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary Original Soundtrack — on CD, 180-gram 2-LP vinyl, and digital audio. Set against the social, political and cultural landscape of the time, Chasing Trane brings saxophone great John Coltrane to life, as a man and an artist. The film is the definitive look at the boundary-shattering musician and composer whose influence continues to resonate around the world.

Written and directed by John Scheinfeld [The U.S. vs. John Lennon; Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin’ About Him?)], Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary is a rich and compelling portrait of a remarkable artist that reveals the critical events, passions, experiences and challenges that shaped the life of John Coltrane and his revolutionary sounds. The captivating film is produced by Spencer Proffer, John Beug, Scott Pascucci, and Dave Harding, with the support of the Coltrane family and the record labels that collectively manage the Coltrane catalog. Chasing Trane’s DVD and Blu-ray packages include a booklet with an essay by Scheinfeld and rare photos seen in the film. The soundtrack’s booklet also includes rare photos from the film and an essay by journalist and film participant Ashley Kahn.

Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary features never-before-seen Coltrane family home movies, footage of Coltrane and his band in the studio (discovered in a California garage during production of the film), along with hundreds of never-before-seen photographs and rare television appearances from around the world. The smart, passionate, thought-provoking and uplifting film reveals the critical events, passions, experience, and challenges that shaped Coltrane’s life and his revolutionary sounds. It is a story of demons and darkness, of persistence and redemption. Above all, it is the incredible spiritual journey of a man who found himself and, in the process, created an extraordinary, iconic body of work that transcends all barriers of geography, race, religion and age.

“A music titan gets his cinematic due in Chasing Trane, a comprehensive, engrossing and, it’s tempting to say, worshipful account of the life of John Coltrane…” – Todd McCarthy, The Hollywood Reporter

John Coltrane’s incredible story is told by the musicians who worked with him (Sonny Rollins, McCoy Tyner, Benny Golson, Jimmy Heath, Reggie Workman), musicians inspired by his fearless artistry and creative vision (Common, The Doors’ John Densmore, Wynton Marsalis, Carlos Santana, Wayne Shorter, Kamasi Washington), Coltrane’s children and biographers, and well-known admirers including President Bill Clinton and Dr. Cornel West. Although Coltrane did not participate in any television interviews and he recorded only a handful of radio interviews during his lifetime, he is an active and vibrant presence throughout the film, in his remarkable performance clips and in thoughts he expressed during print interviews. In Chasing Trane, the words of John Coltrane are spoken by Denzel Washington.

“In many of his roles Denzel radiates an exceptional quiet strength,” says the film’s director-writer John Scheinfeld. “Coltrane, many of his friends told me, embodied a similar strength. That’s why Denzel was my first choice to speak his words and I’m thrilled he made the time to participate in our film.”

After playing to critical and audience acclaim at its fall 2016 world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival and at the Toronto International Film Festival, IDFA and DOC NYC, Chasing Trane’s spring 2017 theatrical release was presented by Abramorama.

Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary will make its television broadcast premiere on Independent Lens on Monday, November 6, 10:00-11:30 PM ET (check local listings) on PBS. During the month prior to the broadcast, Indie Lens Pop-Up, presented by ITVS, Independent Lens, and local partners across the country, will host free preview screenings and discussion events for the film in dozens of U.S. cities.

On Friday, November 17, the same day the ‘Chasing Trane’ home video and companion soundtrack album will be released, the GRAMMY Museum at L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles will open a sweeping new John Coltrane exhibit, titled Chasing Trane: Coltrane’s Musical Journey Transcended. The long-term exhibit, featuring rare performance footage and audio recordings from Coltrane’s Japanese tour in 1966, handwritten manuscripts, instruments, and more, will be a primary installation at the museum through September 2018.

Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary and Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane DocumentaryOriginal Soundtrack are essential for anyone who appreciates the power of music to entertain, inspire, and transform. The producers of the film were, themselves, moved by this force, collectively stating, “We entered into this project with great respect for John Coltrane and his music. Our deep appreciation for both only increased during the production of the film, as we witnessed the profound impact that his music still has on so many people — a breadth of audience that defies any simple categorization.”

New York, NY – March 16, 2017 –Abramorama will handle the North American theatrical distribution of John Scheinfeld’s documentary Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary. The film played to critical and audience acclaim in the fall of 2016 at its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival and also at the Toronto International Film Festival, IDFA and DOC NYC. Set against the social, political and cultural landscape of the times, “Chasing Trane” brings John Coltrane to life as a fully dimensional being, inviting the audience to engage with Coltrane the man, Coltrane the artist. Featuring interviews with Wynton Marsalis, Sonny Rollins, Dr. Cornel West, President Bill Clinton and Common, among others, Coltrane’s own words are spoken by Denzel Washington. The film is produced by Spencer Proffer, John Beug, Scott Pascucci and Dave Harding. “Chasing Trane” will be released theatrically beginning in New York April 14, 2017 with Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago and additional cities to follow.

Written and directed by critically acclaimed documentary filmmaker John Scheinfeld (“The U.S. vs. John Lennon” and “Who Is Harry Nilsson…?”), “Chasing Trane” is the definitive documentary film about an outside-the-box thinker with extraordinary talent whose boundary-shattering music continues to impact and influence people around the world. This smart, passionate, thought-provoking and uplifting documentary is for anyone who appreciates the power of music to entertain, inspire and transform. The film is produced with the full participation of the Coltrane family and the support of the record labels that collectively own the Coltrane catalog.

Although Coltrane did not do any television interviews during his lifetime…and only a handful of radio interview, he will have an active and vibrant presence in the film beyond remarkable performance clips through thoughts he expressed during print interviews. His words are spoken by Academy Award winner Denzel Washington.

“In many of his roles Denzel radiates an exceptional quiet strength.” says the film’s director-writer John Scheinfeld. “Coltrane, many of his friends told me, embodied a similar strength. That’s why Denzel was my first choice to speak his words and I’m thrilled he made the time to participate in our film.”

The producers of the film stated, “We entered into this project with great respect for John Coltrane and his music. Our deep appreciation for both only increased during the production of the film, as we witnessed the profound impact that his music still has on so many people — a breadth of audience that defies any simple categorization.”

Richard Abramowitz added, “I’ve been a fan of John Scheinfeld’s work for years, particularly his Harry Nillson film, and the opportunity to work with him on this exceptional piece about a man of unequaled gifts is, indeed, a privilege.”

Coming off their recent success with Ron Howard’s The Beatles: Eight Days A Week-The Touring Years, Abramorama has proven time and again that they are specialists at releasing music driven long-form documentaries. Other music related films that Abramorama has launched include Cameron Crowe’s Pearl Jam Twenty; Sacha Gervasi’s Anvil! The Story Of Anvil; Green Day’s Heart Like A Hand Grenade, Laurie Anderson’s Heart of a Dog, Dave Stewart’s Stevie Nicks: In Your Dreams, The Zen of Bennett and Bernard Shakey’s Greendale.

About Abramorama

Abramorama is the preeminent theatrical distributor of music films in the US today and recognized for the consistent high quality of its work on award winning feature films. An innovator in the focused, personalized form of film distribution and event cinema, Abramorama provides invaluable alternatives to filmmakers and content owners. An industry leader in marketing and promotion, Abramorama continues to trail-blaze exciting new pathways for filmmakers to find their audience. Over the course of more than a decade, Abramorama has successfully distributed and marketed hundreds of films, including Ron Howard’s GRAMMY Award-winning The Beatles: Eight Days A Week-The Touring Years; Tomer Heymann’s Mr. Gaga; Dawn Porter’s Trapped; Kim A. Snyder’s Newtown; Charles Ferguson’s Time To Choose; Asif Kapadia’s Senna; Neil Young’s Greendale; Cameron Crowe’s Pearl Jam Twenty; Sacha Gervasi’s Anvil! The Story Of Anvil; Banksy’s Academy Award®-nominated, Exit Through The Gift Shop, the surprise indie hit Awake: The Life of Yogananda, Laurie Anderson’s astonishing New York Times critics’ pick, Heart of a Dog, Showtime’s Listen To Me Marlon (National Board of Review Winner) and Draft House Releasing’s The Look of Silence (2016 Documentary Academy Award®-Nominee and 2015 IDA Best Documentary Winner). For more information visit www.abramorama.com

About writer-director John Scheinfeld

Emmy®, Grammy® and Writers Guild Award nominee and Telly Award-winner John Scheinfeld is a highly respected writer-director-producer of documentaries for theatrical and television distribution with a broad range of subjects and critically-acclaimed films to his credit including The U.S. vs. John Lennon, Who Is Harry Nilsson and (Why Is Everybody Talkin’ About Him)?, We Believe, and Dick Cavett’s Watergate. In addition, Scheinfeld has also created and written pilot scripts for drama series for ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox. He is a graduate of Oberlin College and received his MFA from Northwestern University.

About producer Spencer Proffer:

Spencer Proffer is a highly regarded media producer and strategist with a long history of connecting with audiences. His productions and those he has been integrally involved with have garnered Academy, Golden Globe, Emmy, Grammy and Tony awards and nominations, and as music producer, Proffer’s titles have sold millions of records. He has expanded his pedigree by architecting and producing original content for films, brands and distribution companies to get their message across, utilizing music as an organic component.

About producer John Beug

John Beug’s career spans over 30 years in the music industry, including overseeing music video, long form television and DVD production for Warner Music Group and its record labels. A four-time Emmy nominated producer, Beug’s credits include an Emmy Award for Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival and Grammy Awards for When You’re Strange: A Film About The Doors and Tom Petty’s Running Down A Dream.

About producer Scott Pascucci:

Scott Pascucci is CEO of Concord Bicycle Music, a leading independent music company based in Beverly Hills, comprised of Bicycle Music and Concord Music Group. He has served in various producer capacities on music-centric films such as the Grammy Award Winning Ron Howard-directed The Beatles: Eight Days A Week — The Touring Years, As I Am: The Life and Times of DJ AM, George Harrison: Living in the Material World, Jimi Hendrix: Hear My Train A Comin’, and Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival. He was previously President & COO of Exclusive Releasing, and President of Rhino Entertainment, a division of Warner Music Group where he also served as Co-Chairman of Frank Sinatra Enterprises.

About producer Dave Harding:

Dave Harding is an award winning film and television producer and production executive associated with the Academy Award Nominated Encounters At The End of the World, as well as his work on The Grizzly Man,The U.S. vs John Lennon, Leonard Cohen-I’m Your Man,Cave of Forgotten Dreams,and most recently, I Hope You Dance. Honored with three Emmy nominations for his work in television, and one Emmy win for “Wage Slaves-Not Getting By in America,” Harding produced or supervised more than 1000 hours of documentary and non-fiction programs for television while Exec VP of indie powerhouse Creative Differences.

CHASING TRANE A NEW AUTHORIZED DOCUMENTARY ON THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE OF REVOLUTIONARY ARTIST JOHN COLTRANE TO MAKE ITS WORLD PREMIERE AT THE TELLURIDE FILM FESTIVAL

Los Angeles, CA – September 1, 2016 – Chasing Trane, a new authorized documentary based on the extraordinary life of revolutionary artist John Coltrane, has announced it will make its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival September 2-5 and international premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival September 9-15 (screening schedules below). Chasing Trane was written and directed by critically acclaimed documentary filmmaker John Scheinfeld (The U.S. vs. John Lennon and Who Is Harry Nilsson, and Why Is Everybody Talkin’ About Him?).

Although John Coltrane never did any television interviews and only a handful for radio, recordings that have ultimately been rendered unusable over time, he will have an active and vibrant presence in the film through remarkable performance clips and excerpts from print interviews that he gave during his career, his words spokeny Academy Award-winner Denzel Washington.

“In all of his roles Denzel radiates an exceptional quiet strength,” says writer-director John Scheinfeld. “Coltrane, many of his friends told me, embodied a similar strength. That’s why Denzel was my first choice to speak his words and I’m thrilled he made the time to participate in our film.”

Featuring never-before-seen Coltrane family home movies, footage of John Coltrane and band in the studio (discovered in a California garage during production of this film), along with hundreds of never-before-seen photographs and rare television appearances from around the world, Coltrane’s incredible story will be told by the musicians that worked with him (Sonny Rollins, McCoy Tyner, Benny Golson, Jimmy Heath, Reggie Workman), musicians that have been inspired by his fearless artistry and creative vision (Common, John Densmore, Wynton Marsalis, Carlos Santana, Wayne Shorter, Kamasi Washington), Coltrane’s children and biographers, and by well-known admirers such as President Bill Clinton and philosopher Dr. Cornel West.

Chasing Trane reveals the critical events, passions, experiences and challenges that shaped the life of John Coltrane and his revolutionary sounds. It is a story of demons and darkness, of persistence and redemption. Above all else, it is the incredible spiritual journey of a man who found himself and, in the process, created an extraordinary body of work that transcends all barriers of geography, race, religion and age.

The film, produced by Spencer Proffer, Scott Pascucci, John Beug and Dave Harding, was made with the support of the Coltrane Estate and the record labels responsible for most of the Coltrane catalogue.

As a result, Chasing Trane is scored in its entirety with the music of John Coltrane. The creative team was granted unprecedented access to his entire catalogue of recordings on Prestige, Blue Note, Atlantic, Pablo and Impulse. The beauty, poignancy, energy, pain, and joy heard in nearly 50 Coltrane recordings from throughout his career bring alive the artist and the times in which he lived. Each composition used was carefully selected to support the emotional and uplifting content of nearly every scene in the film.

Born September 23rd, 1926 in Hamlet, North Carolina, John Coltrane’s first introduction to music came through his musician father. Growing up, Coltrane was obsessed with the records of Count Basie and Lester Young. At the age of 13, he picked up the saxophone and tried to imitate the sounds of his then idols Charlie Parker and Johnny Hodges. Thus began the career of one of the Twentieth Century’s most important and influential artists. Coltrane’s dramatic life story was cinematic in its scope¾from his early musical life playing alongside giants such as Dizzy Gillespie, to breakout performances with the Miles Davis Quintet on their classic recordings ‘Round About Midnight and Kind of Blue, to a historic association with Thelonious Monk and then finally to his astonishing solo career that gave the world such masterworks as Giant Steps, My Favorite Things, Impressions, Live at Birdland and 1965’s seminal A Love Supreme.

“Trane” died in 1967 at the age of 40, an enigmatic, dominant figure whose massive influence on generations of artists has grown even stronger in the decades since.

About writer-director John Scheinfeld:

Emmy®, Grammy® and Writers Guild Award nominee and Telly Award-winner John Scheinfeld is a highly respected writer-director-producer of documentaries for theatrical and television distribution with a broad range of subjects and critically-acclaimed films to his credit including The U.S. vs. John Lennon, Who Is Harry Nilsson and (Why Is Everybody Talkin’ About Him)?, We Believe, and Dick Cavett’s Watergate. In addition, Scheinfeld has also created and written pilot scripts for drama series for ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox. He is a graduate of Oberlin College and received his MFA from Northwestern University.

About producer Spencer Proffer: Spencer Proffer is a highly regarded media producer and strategist with a long history of connecting with audiences. His productions and those he has been integrally involved with have garnered Academy, Golden Globe, Emmy, Grammy and Tony awards and nominations, and as music producer, Proffer’s titles have sold millions of records. He has expanded his pedigree by architecting and producing original content for films, brands and distribution companies to get their message across, utilizing music as an organic component.

About producer John Beug:

John Beug’s career spans over 30 years in the music industry, including overseeing music video, long form television and DVD production for Warner Music Group and its record labels. A four-time Emmy nominated producer, Beug’s credits include an Emmy Award for Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival and Grammy Awards for When You’re Strange: A Film About The Doors and Tom Petty’s Running Down A Dream.

About producer Scott Pascucci:

Scott Pascucci is CEO of Concord Bicycle Music, a leading independent music company based in Beverly Hills, comprised of Bicycle Music and Concord Music Group. He has served in various producer capacities on music-centric films such as the Grammy Award-winning documentary Ron Howard-directed The Beatles: Eight Days A Week — The Touring Years, As I Am: The Life and Times of DJ AM, George Harrison: Living in the Material World, Jimi Hendrix: Hear My Train A Comin’, and Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival. He was previously President & COO of Exclusive Releasing, and President of Rhino Entertainment, a division of Warner Music Group where he also served as Co-Chairman of Frank Sinatra Enterprises.

About producer Dave Harding:Dave Harding is an award winning film and television producer and production executive associated with the Academy Award nominated Encounters At The End of the World”as well as his work on The Grizzly Man,The U.S. vs John Lennon, Leonard Cohen-I’m Your Man,Cave of Forgotten Dreams,and most recently, I Hope You Dance. Honored with three Emmy nominations for his work in television, and one Emmy win for “Wage Slaves-Not Getting By in America,” Harding produced or supervised more than 1000 hours of documentary and non-fiction programs for television while Exec VP of indie powerhouse Creative Differences.